


Spring Rain

by TheDevilLord



Category: Bleach
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-03-08 04:06:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13450197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDevilLord/pseuds/TheDevilLord
Summary: She was part of their dark history. She was a stain. She was cast aside to be forgotten yet, in their time of need, she was welcomed back into their arms. Yet, the fear of her turning her back on them was very much alive. Did they bring home an ally or an enemy to fight from within?





	1. Chapter One

  _Red was everywhere._

_The green grass underneath her feet was dyed bright red, her zanpakuto and even her hands were covered entirely with the colour red. The stench of blood was so strong that even predators would not dare to get an inch closer. Yet, she stood right in the middle of it, blood dripping off the tip of her zanpakuto and her chin. The sight of her dead comrades, their bodies so cut up that it was hard to tell which limb belonged to which body, it excited her._

Her eyelids fluttered open as she sat up on her futon, sweat beading on her forehead and her breathing became heavy to calm herself down. Her knuckles were starting to turn white from how hard she was gripping onto her duvet and only when it was starting to feel sore did she finally uncurl her fists. This was how she had been waking up every morning for the past six months. It started off with just once a week, then it was several times a week, until she was waking up every morning feeling anxious. Like something bad was going to happen. Something  _really bad_.

_It's just a nightmare_ , Urahara said, waving it off like it did not matter. But she knew it was not a nightmare. It felt too real to be one. She could still feel the warmth of the blood splattering on her skin and how it would cool off. She could still see the life leaving in the eyes of those she cut up. She could still smell that heavy, bloody stench; so much so that she would gag just from thinking about it. It was not a nightmare; it was a memory.

What bothered her the most, however, was not the gruesome scene. It was the excitement that she felt. The high that came with bringing down her zanpakuto onto flesh. The pure glee of watching the other person pleading for their life before she impaled them mercilessly.

The sound of the door sliding open snapped her out of her thoughts, and she instantly reverted to her usual self, donning a glare and a frown as Urahara grinned at her. "Well, good morning," he greeted, plopping himself on the floor just outside her room. "Isn't it a great day to start at your new school?" She gave no response, simply glaring with annoyance and wondering silently when he was ever going to leave her alone. "Get out of bed and get ready. Your brother wouldn't like knowing that you skipped out on your first day."

_Her brother_...

If only her brother really cared. Since she could remember, she had been in the care of Urahara. Her memories did not go too far back but it seemed like all her life, living in the Urahara Shop was all she knew. She could barely remember what her brother looked like. Even as he was mentioned here and there occasionally by Urahara, he felt like a stranger to her. It used to anger her, whenever Urahara would bring up her brother.  _If he really cares, he would be here_ , was what she used to say. But slowly, even her anger towards him dissipated and was replaced by apathy.

Throwing her duvet over Urahara, she got up from her futon and slid the door shut. For a few seconds, Urahara remained just outside her room with the duvet over his head. "Well, that's no way for a lady to act." When he finally moved, the cheeky smile that he always greeted her with disappeared but instead, a frown was in its place. Getting up from his spot, Urahara dropped the duvet on the floor as he walked away.

Urahara never viewed himself as a carer; it was just not in his personality to be one. Yet, over the years, he had taken in several people under his wings with her being one of them. Being children, Ururu and Jinta were not difficult to deal with. Urahara was more like an employer than he was a carer to them. With her, however, things were a little different. She was entrusted to him and it was more than just raising her that he had to deal with. It was the protection that was the most difficult. Protecting her from the outside world, from the world she came from, and most importantly, from herself. And lately, it seemed like whatever she was being protected from was haunting her in the form of nightmares.

Of course, Urahara waved them off as nothing. He played it off as if it was normal:  _Everyone gets nightmares_ , were his exact words. But Urahara knew they were more than just nightmares and they were getting worse progressively. He had his promise to uphold but with these 'nightmares' and things that were going on in the real world, Urahara could no longer keep to the promise.

"Ururu, have you been keeping an eye on her as I told you to?"

Gripping onto the broomstick, Ururu looked up with big eyes. "Y-yes," she answered meekly. "She's getting the nightmares every night but...um..." The little girl trailed off, looking down at her feet instead. Urahara raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to finish. It was not unusual for Ururu to behave like so but he could sense the fear in her, something that never existed before. Not regarding anyone residing in Urahara Shop, anyway. Urahara had a feeling he knew the reason why. "She um..."

"Just spit it out!" Jinta frowned, hitting the back of Ururu's head as he was getting impatient. "That's the whole reason why you were told to watch her, isn't it? So you can report!"

"It's okay," Urahara said, a gentle smile forming, putting his hand gently on Ururu's head. "You've done well, Ururu. A good morning to you, Yoruichi-san. To what do we owe this visit?" Urahara asked, without turning his head to properly greet the woman he knew so well.

Keeping her eyes on the doors that led to the living quarters of those who worked in Urahara Shop, Yoruichi walked up to Urahara. It was a little unusual for her not to be in her cat form but Urahara did not ask about it. He knew the reason of her visit, and for appearing in human form. "Don't play around with me, Kisuke," Yoruichi said. "I felt it a mile away." A serious look, once again, settled on Urahara's face. "Is  _she_  back, Kisuke?"

"No, she's not."

"Kisuke-"

"She's not," Urahara repeated, but firmer this time. "But she might. The seal on her is weakening. It was created for a child but, you and I know she's far from that. We won't have long before it stops working." He could tell from the look in her eyes that Yoruichi was telling him to do something about it. "She's not a bad kid, don't treat her like she is. What happened wasn't her fault."

"Tell that to the twenty-nine shinigamis she murdered."

* * *

Clad in Karakura High School's uniform, the girl found herself walking down an unfamiliar road, heading for the one school she had yet to be kicked out of. In the last three years or so, Urahara had decided that it was time for her to finally get associated with the society, enrolling her in a school. It was a great plan in theory but a plan that crumbled as soon as it was executed. Unable to mingle well with her 'peers', she was bullied. To protect herself, she retaliated and got into a lot of trouble that eventually saw her bouncing from school to school within a few months.

She saw no difference between this school and the last. It was only a matter of time before they too, expelled her. That was also the reason why she never made any friends. Besides the fact that wherever she went, she was bullied, she soon learnt that there was no point in establishing relationships when she would leave in a few months. She had learnt that it was better to be alone, although Urahara strongly disagreed and encouraged her to make friends.

A distance away, a figure backtracked behind a corner when they noticed her presence while she was oblivious to theirs. Although a little surprised to see a familiar face, they could not help but smirk. "Ah...this has just turned interesting," they mumbled to themselves.

**~.~**

Filing into the classroom in the early morning, it was as if nothing had happened. The events of Seireitei were still fresh in their minds yet no one talked about it. As Ichigo walked into the classroom, he stopped just a few steps away from his table, a frown in his brows as he stared out of the window. He was never good at it before but with training and fighting, Ichigo had learnt to sense reiryoku. And a very unusual one, one that he never encountered before, just appeared somewhere near the school.

Just a few moments later, the classroom was soon full and their teacher walked in, telling everyone to settle. "Alright guys, quiet now," Miss Ochi said, standing at the front of the class. "We have two transfer students today so let's be nice and welcome them." The teacher walked over to the door, opening it to welcome the two new students. Except, there was only one. "Ah...there's only one of you. No worries, come on in."

Stepping into the classroom, every pair of eyes looked her way but she simply walked up to the middle of the blackboard, standing with her feet together and faced the classroom. This happened too often in her years of attending school for her to feel nervous or excited. Or any kind of feelings for that matter. The first few times she did this, she still had a smile on her face, feeling a little enthusiastic to introduce herself. Now, it just felt like a chore.

"Well, it seems like only one of the transfer students bothered to show up so we'll let her intro-"

Before Miss Ochi finished her sentence, Ichigo suddenly stood up from his seat, rushing out of the classroom with his usual excuse of needing the bathroom. Following right after was Chad and Orihime, both giving the same excuse. Looking out of the window, the girl frowned a little. Was it coincidence that they ran out as soon as the presence of a Hollow was felt? Whatever it was, however, she took her seat at the back of the room when instructed to by the teacher. She much preferred not having an introduction.

Although, it seemed like escaping from it was near impossible.

It was later in the day but those who left abruptly had returned and the other transfer student finally arrived. Once again, she was called up to the front, standing next to the other new student. "As I told you guys this morning, we have two new transfer students today," Miss Ochi said. "Why don't you guys introduce yourselves?"

Taking the chalk from the teacher, the guy went first. He wrote his name backwards in huge letters before facing the class. "And Hira, from 'lecherous, with Ko from 'Ono no Imoko'. Shin, from 'genuine sadist', with Ko from 'karashi mentaiko'. That makes Hirako Shinji. Pleased to meet you!" This was the first time she had ever heard someone so eagerly introducing themselves, even going the extra mile of writing their name backwards. He was definitely a character.

"Hirako-kun, you wrote your name backwards!"

"Pretty good, huh? I'm good at doing things in reverse!"

"Alright, I see," Miss Ochi nodded, her tone of voice sounded like she was merely entertaining him. "Would you like to write your name backwards too?" She directed her question to the girl but the class erupted into laughter. Ignoring the commotion, she picked up the chalk, writing her name just about big enough for everyone to see. Ishida was the first to notice; those characters that he had seen somewhere else before. He glanced over to Ichigo, who was staring at the girl and not the name on the board.

He felt it that morning, just before he had to run off to slay the Hollow. It was the same feeling as before but it felt much stronger this time. He narrowed his eyes on the girl though they soon widened as she spoke, introducing herself.

"Ukitake...Katsumi."

**~.~**

All day, they had been feeling antsy.

When they saw her name on the board, they could still convince themselves that it was just a coincidence. But coupled with what Ichigo had been feeling (with confirmation from the other three), there was no doubt that their new classmate was somehow related to the captain of the thirteenth squad who resided in Seireitei. They never got the chance throughout the day to even approach her, let alone ask her a question. It was not until the last bell of the day, signalling the end of school, could they finally gather around her table.

Looking up at four strange faces, Katsumi acted indifferent, neatly putting her books into her bag before standing up. Ichigo was the one who stopped her from leaving, sticking an arm in her way. As she looked up at him, Ichigo could not help but compare her looks to that of the captain he met. They were nothing alike. Not an inch of her face resembled Jushiro's in any way. Surely the name was just a coincidence.

"It's my first day of school, please could we do this another day?" Katsumi sighed.

The way she carried herself, there was no doubt that Katsumi was brought up in a noble household. Even the way she spoke. Although she sounded like she was pleading, her tone of voice was still elegant and her choice of words was somewhat old-fashioned.

"Ukitake Jushiro, do you know him? What is your relation to him?"

That was a name so familiar yet so strange. They carried the same family name, but Katsumi never felt like she was ever part of the family. Ukitake Jushiro was the man one would call her brother. To Katsumi, however, the definition of a brother was someone who actively took part in raising her. Someone who would be there in her times of need. Someone who would support her no matter what. Ukitake Jushiro was no brother to her. Not when she did not even remember what he looked like. Not when he was never there whenever she cried herself to sleep. Not when he handed her over to Urahara and never saw her again.

"Family name is all I share with that man. Please do not associate me with him," Katsumi replied, lowering Ichigo's arm. "Now if you may, I have to go."

Her answer was not satisfying enough but it was enough for them to confirm that she was indeed related to the captain they knew of. Before she could leave, Ichigo grabbed Katsumi by the elbow, forcing her to stay. "Why are you here?" he asked. "Is something happening? Is that why? They sent you from Soul Society because something big is happening, right?"

Katsumi remained calm, even as she was being bombarded with questions. Even with her elbow aching from how tightly he was gripping onto her. She placed her hand on top of his, gently pushing it off to reveal the fingermarks on her skin where he had been gripping. "I have no association with Soul Society, so unfortunately, I would not be able to tell you if anything is happening. Please, I have to go."

This time, Ichigo did not try to stop her. With her bag in her hand, Katsumi walked out of the classroom. Only when she was out of sight did she winced a little, pressing her hand to her elbow, trying to rub out the pain. Whoever those people were, they were not ordinary high school students. That much, Katsumi knew. There was no way ordinary high school students could have known anything about Soul Society, let alone her brother. It seemed like there was a lot more that Urahara was keeping from her than what Katsumi thought.

So deep in her thoughts, it was not until she was about half way home did she finally realise that she was being followed. She suddenly felt alerted, stopping in her tracks and looking around. There was no one behind her but as soon as she turned back around, Katsumi froze. Just a few feet away from her was what she could only describe as a monster. A word popped into her mind; a word from her memory that somehow she knew could be associated with the monster that was right in front of her.  _Hollow_.

"You look tasty," the Hollow snarled. "You couldn't possibly be a human with a reiryoku like yours. Not a shinigami either. What are you, little kitten?"

"I do not understand what you are trying to say."

"Oh? Playing dumb now, are we? Doesn't matter to me as long as you're tasty!"

With that, the Hollow charged at her. Katsumi's body reacted solely on instinct as she jumped up, using the Hollow's head as a vault and landed behind it with one knee bent and the other leg extended out to the side. As she swung back around, the Hollow swished its tail at her. With just one hand, Katsumi caught its tail effortlessly and with just a tug, the Hollow was suddenly flying towards her. Katsumi held her hand in front of her and a large concentrate of reiatsu blasted from her palm, piercing the Hollow right in the middle of his forehead, shooting all the way down his body.

As the Hollow dissipated after death, Katsumi collapsed but was caught in the arms of Urahara. He hoisted her up and swept her off her legs, watching until the very last of the Hollow disappeared. He looked down at the blacked out girl, letting out a soft sigh. "You and I both know, Kisuke, that was not Katsumi." Looking over his shoulders, Urahara stared at Yoruichi who was perched on the fence just behind him. "You know we can't let her return."

"I know."

"And you still insist on continuing with your plan?"

"We all know that there is a war coming. We need all the help we can get."

"Yes, but not  _her_."


	2. Chapter Two

There was only one mission he was entrusted with; the recruitment of Kurosaki Ichigo. Yet, he could not help but be tempted by the option of chasing down another individual; one that they had been looking for but never even found a single clue as to her whereabouts. He got lucky to just run into her at a simple high school in Karakura. He chose to stick with the original mission, lest he be reprimanded later on, but his mind kept wandering off to his fellow transfer student.

_Ukitake Katsumi_.

He knew her by another name, one that had been forbidden to be spoken of in Soul Society. He never met her in person, although there were rumours that she was one of the most beautiful in Seireitei. He had only ever heard her name floating around, associating her with the one family most likely forgotten about by now. Her story was that of tragedy but he could not bring himself to pity her. She was, after all, the reason why he was who he was now. Though, it seemed like there was no point in going after her now. With a change of name, perhaps she was hiding?

But there was no time for him to dwell on such thoughts. Instead, he drew his zanpakuto, springing a surprise attack on the unguarded Ichigo. He was quick enough, however, to block the attack with his own zanpakuto. "Hirako! That's a...zanpakuto! Who the hell are you?" Putting a finger to his lips, Shinji hushed Ichigo with a smirk.

"Don't make too much noise, Kurosaki Ichigo. Guys with reiatsu like you shouldn't make such a fuss. The world will tremble and they'll notice you."

"They'll notice me? Who will?"

"Must I tell you everything before you understand?" With a push against his zanpakuto, Ichigo put some distance between himself and Shinji. For a moment, the transfer student looked away, sensing something. "They've come. See? I've told you. This is all because you were releasing your reiatsu." Ignoring Shinji's comment, Ichigo asked who he was once more though he was clearly angered by this point. "You sure are difficult," Shinji smirked, raising his hand above his head. "Well then, since you're so interested to know."

A mask started manifesting where Shinji had his hand, a mask that was all-too-familiar to Ichigo. The only difference being that Shinji was able to summon his mask just like that but for Ichigo, it was very much touch and go. Just who exactly was this guy?

"A zanpakuto and a Hollow mask," Shinji said. "I'm a shinigami who's stepped into the domain of the Hollows. I told you, did I not? 'Let's be friends'. I'm a Vizard and you're the same as me. Come with us, Ichigo. You shouldn't be on that side."

However, just moments after he made the offer to Ichigo, two bursts of reiatsu were simultaneously released. Both Ichigo and Shinji looked in the direction of the two different reiatsu. One of them was slightly different but anyone who could sense reiatsu would know that they were both powerful. Although Shinji was quite confident in identifying one of them, he was not quite sure who the other belonged to.

While he was momentarily distracted, Ichigo started running off in the direction where one of the reiatsu was sensed. Before he could try to convince Ichigo once more, the other guy stated that he had no interest in joining him or his organisation, proudly stating that he was a shinigami and nothing else. With that, Ichigo ran off, leaving Shinji behind. "He sure is difficult," Shinji sighed, reaching into the back pocket of his trousers and pulled out a phone to call someone. "Hello? This is Hirako, is this Miss Sarugaki? I'm sorry but...I failed.

"It can't be helped! It's only a matter of time. Let's be patient. Oh...and, I've discovered something quite interesting. Remember a shinigami by the name Katsumi?"

**~.~**

_Cherry blossom petals floated all over her._

_She looked up to the sky but all she could see was endless petals falling all around her. She held her hand out in front and watched as several petals landed on her palm. When she looked over her shoulder, she could not help but grin at he who made this possible. The pure glee on her face was what he wanted to see. Turning back around to enjoy the cherry blossom rain, she sat on the ground, picking up the fallen petals. When both her hands were full, she stood up and ran over to him, sitting just in front of him with a bright smile. "You would look great with these in your hair..._

"Byakuya..."

For the first time ever, she did not dream of that gruesome scene. For the first time ever, she was able to see a face so clearly in her dream. For the first time ever, she spoke in the dream. But just like before, it felt like a memory rather than a dream. She could feel the gentle cool breeze of the early spring blowing in her hair. She could smell the sweet scent of cherry blossom surrounding her, and feel the soft warmth of the sun shining down on them. Most vividly, however, she could feel how soft  _his_  hair was. How  _his_  smile warmed her.

While her nightmares would last all night, this pleasant dream came to an end. As she slowly opened her eyes, the first thing Katsumi saw was several thin, wide beams of light around her waist. Her first instinct was to move away but no matter how hard she thought of it, her body could not move. "Don't move, you'll only hurt yourself." Urahara's voice caught her attention and Katsumi looked up, seeing the man himself approaching her. "Don't worry, it's only for safety measures," he smiled.

"What is this? Where are we?"

"We are underneath the shop. Welcome to my secret lair!" Urahara reached his hand out and used his thumb to lift her eyelids up, examining her eyes. Despite wanting so desperately to swat his hand away, Katsumi's body remained unmoved. She could not even move her pinky. As he finished examining her, Urahara released the binding spell and caught her as Katsumi fell. He lowered her gently and propped her against a huge rock, sitting down in front of her. She tried moving her legs and although she was finally able to move them, it hurt to do so. "Your body will be aching for a while. You haven't fought in years and for you to suddenly release that amount of reiatsu, it's going to hurt like hell for you."

"What are you talking about? Reiatsu?"

"Ah...of course, you don't remember." Instead of giving Katsumi a straight answer, Urahara placed his hand on her forehead. "I'm sorry about this, Katsumi." Before she could even ask, Urahara started muttering under his breath. As soon as he stopped, a surge of energy shot through Katsumi and her eyes widened in response. Her body went limp as Katsumi fell deep into sleep. "Let's hope this works."

Just as Urahara uttered that, Katsumi suddenly opened her eyes. Except, they were not the emerald green eyes that Urahara was so used to. They were  _blood red_. She grabbed his hand, using her other hand to cover his mouth before Urahara could cast a binding spell on her. The smirk on her face was a dead giveaway as to who she was. The murderous look in her eyes too. This was what they were afraid of but it was a side effect of the Kido he cast on Katsumi that Urahara expected. All he needed to do was to hold off until the effects of the Kido wore off.

Grabbing the girl by her wrist, Urahara yanked her hand off him and used Shunpo to put some distance between them. Except, she caught up with him in a split second, a punch coming right at him. As Urahara stopped her punch with his palm, a huge burst of reiatsu was released and the rocks around them cracked from the sheer force.

Holding her in place, Urahara used Rikujokoro and bound the girl on the spot. Once she was unable to move, Urahara jumped back to put more distance between them. Although he could fight her, Urahara had opted not to. It was not his desire to but more importantly, he did not want to hurt Katsumi. Binding her was the best choice here. But she was not making it simple.

Using her reiatsu, the binding spell was forcefully released by the girl. Urahara knew she was much better than Katsumi in all areas when it came to combat. He never knew she was this good. Just as she was about to charge at him again, the girl suddenly stopped as she turned her head back to where she woke up from. As she turned to look at Urahara again, a smirk slowly crept onto her face. "Oh Kisuke..." she smirked, shaking her head. "I must applaud you, for your efforts. But you're not really the genius they say you are."

Disappearing with Shunpo, the girl appeared next to the zanpakuto that had been leaning against the rock where she had been sitting. "Shit." Urahara must admit that he was careless. He intended to bring Katsumi's memories back and from there, train her to fight once more. He brought her zanpakuto along in hopes that he could help her regain her previous abilities. Catching up to the girl, Urahara stopped her from touching the zanpakuto. They started going back and forth, with her going offensively while Urahara was acting defensively.

Pointing two fingers at Urahara, she shot a Hado at point blank. Urahara, however, managed to escape unscathed but at the same time, he was too far away to stop her from finally getting her hands on the zanpakuto. Unsheathing the zanpakuto, she pointed the blade in Urahara's direction with a victorious smirk.

"Cry, Harusame."

**~Meanwhile~**

When she opened her eyes again, Katsumi was standing right in front of someone who looked exactly like her. Letting out a surprised gasp, she took a step back. Only for her to realise that she just walked right through someone instead of colliding with them. In her panic, Katsumi started stumbling about. Even though the room was full of people, whenever she stepped, Katsumi never bumped into anyone as she walked right through them. Breathing heavily, Katsumi tried calming herself down and started to realise that she was in a dream. No, a memory.

The person who looked exactly like her  _was_  her. A younger her.

As she finally looked around calmly, Katsumi realised that she was in a memory of her own. A memory that had been locked away. This was the memory of her graduation from Shin'O Academy, the day she officially became a shinigami. It was starting to become clear to her, what Urahara said about her reiatsu. Although she had forgotten for unknown reasons, Katsumi had always have reiryoku and could release reiatsu. The reason why she could evade that Hollow so effortlessly was because she used to be a shinigami and knew how to fight.

Watching as her younger self held a zanpakuto in her hand, the memory started fading into another.

This time, she was standing on a tree branch right next to her younger self who was hiding. Her hand clutched the hilt of her zanpakuto and although it was dark all around, Katsumi could see herself shaking. It was coming back to her, that feeling of fear when she was sent on a mission for the very first time. She kept looking over to her comrades, waiting for someone to make a move before she did. And although she held her own fight, Katsumi never found the heart in her to finish the enemy off. It inconvenienced her comrades, as they often had to do her job for her.

But why was she living in the human world now? Why was she not a shinigami anymore?

She knew of the existence of Soul Society. She remembered it like she remembered her brother. But to Katsumi, Soul Society was just a home she was taken away from. She always thought she was just a soul, a part of the Ukitake family. Never in a million years did she think that she was a shinigami, one who worked in the Gotei 13 and carried around a zanpakuto.

Before she could dwell longer and uncover more of her memories, Katsumi suddenly felt as if she was being sucked away. Her entire world was spinning and Katsumi could barely see what was going on. The next thing she knew, she was holding onto her zanpakuto that was piercing the right shoulder of Urahara, pinning him against a rock. "Welcome back," Urahara grinned, wincing a little in pain. Katsumi's eyes widened at the sight, letting out a gasp. "Hey um...you mind pulling your zanpakuto out first before you freak? Your blade's a little too long for me to do it myself."

Finally coming back to her senses, Katsumi pulled her zanpakuto out of his shoulder and Urahara let out a groan, pressing a hand to his wound. Looking down at her own hands, Katsumi was more confused than she was before. Staggering onto his feet, Urahara looked over to Katsumi and walked up to her, flicking her on the forehead to catch her attention. "Old man..."

"It's so good to have you back, Katsumi-chan. She's not very nice."

"Who?"

Letting out a groan of pain, Urahara managed to escape the question. "See those set of stairs over there?" Urahara asked, using his cane to point over to the left. Katsumi thought Urahara was joking when he told her they were in his secret lair underneath the shop.

Running over to the stairs, Katsumi went up to the shop before returning a few minutes after with a first aid kit in her hand. She ran up to Urahara and started tending to his wound. As much as she found Urahara irritating, Katsumi would never believe that she was the one who stabbed him in the shoulder if she was not holding onto the zanpakuto just moments ago. She never even knew she had a zanpakuto or how to fight to begin with. Seeing the worried and confused looks on her face mixing together, Urahara used his free hand and gave her another flick on the forehead between the brows.

"If you keep frowning like that, you'll get permanent wrinkles," he grinned.

"How can you be joking in this situation?" Katsumi asked, pressing the cotton wool soaked with disinfectant roughly onto his wound purposely, making Urahara scream out in pain. "What did you do to me, old man?"

As he calmed, Urahara suddenly had a very serious look on his face. One that Katsumi was not used to seeing. He stared at Katsumi, trying to think of what to say to her. There was an agreement between him and Ukitake when Katsumi was entrusted in his care; that she should never know about her past, or what happened in Seireitei that resulted in her leaving with him. It was for the best of Katsumi and all of Soul Society, really. But desperate times meant desperate measures and the Gotei 13 was running into some desperately desperate times. They needed all the help they could get.

Or, at least, that was how Urahara justified his actions.

"All I did was help you remember," Urahara said. "Think of it like giving your brain a jump start. Your memories were sealed away when you came to the human world, for the safety of your own and everyone else but that's another story for next time." As Katsumi tied up the ends of the bandage, Urahara stood up and pulled his clothes back in place, picking up his cane. "Come back here tomorrow after school. And bring your zanpakuto. We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

Katsumi could not sleep the entire night. She tossed and turned, eventually settling on her back while she stared up at the ceiling. Although Urahara gave her some answers, she knew he was hiding a lot more from her. It was a bit of a forbidden subject, her past. She had learnt a long time ago not to waste any time trying to squeeze anything out of Urahara; he became an expert at evading her questions. That was when she turned her head, staring at the zanpakuto leaning against the wall near the door. When she first discovered it hidden away in Urahara's room, she was told it was because she used to practice Kendo.

So many questions clouded her mind for the rest of the night and before she knew it, it was morning. The whole day in school, she could not focus. When she was supposed to be taking notes, Katsumi was doodling. Subconsciously, she started drawing herself in the shinigami attire wielding her zanpakuto. The name  _Harusame_ was written all over her book too, though Katsumi had no idea to what it was related. It was just a name that kept popping up in her mind.

Unknown to her, someone had been watching her over her shoulders the entire time.

After school, as Katsumi was making her way home, she could not help but feel like she was being followed. Every time she looked over her shoulder, however, there was no one there. Or at least, not on the street. Something in her guts told her to look up and when she did, Katsumi's body reacted instinctively. She jumped back as Shinji slashed his zanpakuto down on her.

"Ukitake Katsumi."


	3. Chapter Three

"Ukitake Katsumi."

"Hirako-kun?"

"Or should I say... _Chuya_  Katsumi."

Not giving her the time to response, Shinji charged at Katsumi, bringing his zanpakuto back around. Without a weapon of her own, Katsumi could only dodge his attacks. It was clear to her, however, that there was a huge difference between their skills and it was only a matter of time before Katsumi could no longer evade his blade. As Shinji swung his zanpakuto out, the blade came dangerously close to slicing Katsumi by the throat. With two fingers, the momentum of Shinji's zanpakuto was suddenly neutralised.

Raising an eyebrow, Shinji was met with bright red eyes instead of emerald green. A murderous like smirk started to spread on the girl's face as she slowly turned her fingers to point at Shinji. Her lips moved and although no sound came out, a Hado shot out from her fingers. Shinji barely dodged the spell, hating the fact that he was just taunted; the fact that she could use a mid-level Hado without incantation or calling the type and level, but still mouthed it so he would know, was more than irritating.

As Shinji was recovering himself, and observing what seemed like a new opponent, the girl stretched her arms up to the air and let out a satisfied groan before looking down at her own hands. She moved her fingers, clutching her hands into tight fists before releasing them. When she finally looked up, the smirk was still plastered on her face. "Ah...it sure is great to be back," she muttered, closing her eyes to take in a deep breath before disappearing and reappearing next to Shinji, bringing her leg down for a kick. Although he dodged, the impact of her kick sent a wave of energy his way though he withstood. "Chuya...I haven't heard that name in a century. That cursed name. Would you like to ask your friend to come out? Or shall I go on a little hunt?" Before she could do anything, however, the girl was taken away by what could only be described as a blur.

"Oh man...I haven't had my fun yet," Shinji grumbled.

**~.~**

The moment she was let down, the girl raised her fist but was faced with a blade pointed right at her nose. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes now focusing on the man on the other end of the blade. "Did you not get enough of an ass kicking last time?" she taunted with a smirk, taking a step back but Urahara took a step forward to keep the distance between them. He could never let her get too close but he definitely could not let her too far away either. "Come on now, Kisuke, there's no need for the blade. Let's fight like civilised people, shall we?"

" _You_  talking about being civilised? That's funny," Urahara smiled. They continued staring at each other, with Urahara keeping his zanpakuto between them still. "It's time for you to go. Bring Katsumi back."

"Why should I?" she asked, tilting her head further. "This body doesn't belong to Katsumi but...you already know that, don't you?" Urahara kept quiet, to which the girl simply scoffed. "Katsumi, Katsumi, Katsumi. You know, ever since we were born, everything has been about Katsumi. Finally, we have the princess we had been longing for. Oh, don't mind her twin sister, she's not wanted. But guess what? Without me, your precious princess would have been dead. She  _should have_  been dead. Isn't the Soul Society all about justice? Where's my justice? Did anyone fight for me? Did  _you_?"

"Where's the justice in killing twenty-nine shinigamis?" Urahara questioned back.

"Pulling that card now, are we?" she smirked. "I'll admit, there was no justice in killing those shinigamis. Just a whole lot of fun. It's entertaining to watch them fight someone they knew they had no chance beating but still tried so hard. It's amusing to see them struggling so much only to beg me to end it. I still remember each and every one of their faces when I killed them. The moment my blade pierced their hearts. The feeling of flesh separating when I dismembered them. Must have been a real mess for you guys to clean up."

"The Soul Society is still after you. You will be chased down and prosecuted. You won't ever get to live the life you wanted so badly."

"Then let them come. You think I would be afraid of the Soul Society? I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to scare me so I would go into hiding and let Katsumi come back. Maybe for one day I believed in the bullshit of Katsumi protecting me from prosecution. But then I realised it was just another way of you assholes telling me that you don't need me around. You only want Katsumi. You don't even dare to say my name."

Lowering his zanpakuto finally, Urahara sheathed the blade before looking at the girl. She was the definition of tragic; anyone who had heard of her story would feel nothing but pity for her. However, those who knew what she had done and what she was capable of would never be able to feel that pity. "Kagome," Urahara said, staring into her eyes. "Ukitake Kagome, twin sister of Katsumi."

Her expressions softened but only for a second after hearing her name. "I know there's something coming, something big. And I know that eventually you're going to come to me for help. I will let your precious princess come back but only because I am looking forward to seeing you begging for my help. All of you, especially that Commander of yours. I'll make him get on his knees."

Right after her declaration, Kagome closed her eyes and her body dropped onto the floor. Urahara caught her, holding her in his arms before letting out a soft sigh. "She's going to be a pain in the neck," he mumbled, picking the girl up effortlessly. "Why did Ukitake give me such a troublesome girl? I wouldn't complain if he gave me a charming woman but I can't even flirt with this girl because  _he'd_  probably cut my head off if he ever found out...Ah! Why did I ever say yes to taking care of her?"

**~.~**

_"It is going to be fine, Katsumi...Everything will be fixed and you will be back on your feet again soon enough. Do not worry."_

_A gentle hand stroked her hair, reassuring her, but she knew she was not going to be fine. She knew she was dying. She wanted to speak but she could not find the strength in her. Hearing a scream, she turned her head slowly to the left, watching helplessly as her sister was laid and tied down on the altar next to her. Her lips moved but no words came out. She wanted to tell them not to hurt her, to ask for someone to help her. "I don't want to die! Please! Please don't do this! Please, I'll be good! I'll behave! Please, don't!"_

"Kagome!"

Sitting up on her futon, Katsumi was trying to make sense of the dream. Or rather, memory. It was not until a drop of tear splattered on the back of her hand did Katsumi finally realised that she was crying. The feeling of helplessness stuck with her. She laid there, watching as the other girl screamed for help yet there was nothing she could do. Remembering the screams was even more unbearable for her as Katsumi finally broke down. She could not remember who the other girl was but she knew she was someone important, someone close.

A handkerchief was handed to her and Katsumi looked up to see Urahara standing in front of her. She took the handkerchief, wiping her tears but they were never ending. "Who was she?" she cried. "Why does it hurt so much? Who is this...Kagome?"

"Your twin sister," Urahara said. "Her life was sacrificed to save yours but...you won't remember any of it, fortunately enough for you. That's another story for next time, however. Today, we have something more important at hand. Your zanpakuto. Do you remember the name? Or the release command? Do you even know what a zanpakuto is?" Urahara held her zanpakuto before her eyes but Katsumi frowned, not even paying attention to the katana. "No? I suppose not. Looks like we have a lot to do then. Let's go."

"How could you?" Katsumi asked, refusing to move. "How could you just drop something like that and pretend it is nothing? My twin sister was sacrificed to save me and you just moved on, telling me I am fortunate to not remember? I have a twin sister. How could I not have known that? How could I have forgotten? How could I?!"

Letting out a sigh, Urahara took a seat next to Katsumi, putting her zanpakuto in his lap. "You are having these...dreams. Nightmares. But they feel like memories, don't they? A long time ago, your memories were sealed away but it was for your own good. For your safety, and the safety of others, you cannot remember. That's a sacrifice you have to make. Sometimes, not remembering and not knowing is a blessing. There will come a time, however, when it all comes back to you. For now, shall we work on your zanpakuto? It'd be rather useless to have you on the battlefield without it."

* * *

Lately, everything felt so strange.

Her body felt strange; somehow, she knew how to fight despite having no recollection of ever learning how to. Not to mention the odd energies that she had been able to sense lately. It seemed like everyone had some sort of energy with the level and intensity of it differing from one to the other. Her mind felt strange too; she was haunted by dreams every night yet every single one of them seemed more like a memory. Even the world felt strange. Although, none of that felt as strange as having a katana in her hand.

When she was handed what Urahara referred to as her 'zanpakuto', Katsumi took a good look at the weapon. It was a beautiful katana, with a diamond-shaped tsuba, a teal-coloured hilt, and a teardrop-shaped ornament hanging at the end. The blade of the katana was exceptionally long, reaching almost a metre out in front of her. Yet, this was no ordinary katana. It was a katana with a name, with an ability. One that Katsumi supposedly knew how to activate but there was nothing in her memories that was related to the zanpakuto even remotely. Not even in the ones Urahara helped her recover, or the ones that appeared in her dreams.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Urahara smiled, watching Katsumi. "She may be one of the most beautiful zanpakutos in Soul Society, losing out to just Rukia's one. It's powerful too, although I only saw you using it once."

"But you said I would have to remember the name and the...release command? I do not even know what those mean, how am I suppose to remember?"

"I'm sorry, Katsumi."

Just like before, Urahara muttered under his breath and pressed his palm to Katsumi's forehead where a surge of energy shot through her. Falling unconscious, Urahara leaned her up against a rock and used a binding spell on her. Although it seemed like there was an understanding between him and Kagome, there was no harm in being too safe. He was not heavily injured last time but Urahara was not too fond of the idea of being stabbed again.

A few seconds later, the girl's body jerked a little as she slowly raised her head. The red eyes were a dead giveaway that Kagome had took over. Unlike last time, however, she made no attempt to break free of the binding spell. "Why are you wasting your time training her? You and I both know that it would be much quicker if you sent an invitation to everyone in Soul Society and asked them to come beg me. Katsumi isn't the soldier you need. She will  _never_  become the soldier you need." A strand of hair fell on her face and Kagome tried to move her hand though she was bound in place. "Can you...?" she asked, looking at Urahara. "I'm not going to attack you. If I were, I would have broken free already. It's a pain in the ass to break these myself."

Urahara hesitated for a moment though he released the binding spell. Kagome brushed the strand of hair out of her face and stretched her arms up, letting out a groan before looking over to the store owner. A smirk appeared on her face as her eyes glided down his arm, seeing that Urahara had his hand placed on top of his cane. "Do you think the Soul Society would ask for the help of one of their most wanted criminals?"

"I think the Soul Society is shameless enough to ask. And then betray me in the end."

"And if they never come to you?"

"Then you don't know the Soul Society like I do," Kagome grinned. "First of all, they need all the help they can. Whether it's from me or those they exiled before. Isn't that the reason why you're still associated with them, Kisuke? They threw you out but you still help them. Secondly," she hummed, holding up two fingers. "Even if they don't need or want my help, they don't want me on the opposite team. Realistically speaking, I won't be able to kill all of you. However, I could kill enough to significantly damage your side. Last but not least, I'm a Chuya."

**~Meanwhile~**

When she opened her eyes this time, Katsumi was standing in what looked like a training field. Unlike last time, she was much calmer when she saw her younger self standing on the field with her zanpakuto in hand. Standing opposite Katsumi was the man whom she called brother. Katsumi stepped a little closer to the young Ukitake, taking a good look of his face. It had been so long that she almost forgot what her own brother looked like. Seeing him now, even though it was just a memory, was more emotional than Katsumi thought.

"Are you ready, Katsumi-chan?"

"As always."

They unsheathed their zanpakutos at the same time and charged at each other. The blades clashed together but neither of them was giving in. Ukitake easily gained the upper hand on her, forcing the young Katsumi to move purely defensively. "You're still afraid of hurting me, Katsumi-chan. That means you're not fighting me at full strength. You will only get hurt on the battlefield and burden your comrades if you continue to fight this way." Despite the advice, young Katsumi was still fighting defensively. Most of the time, she was using her zanpakuto to block Ukitake's moves. When she did use it offensively, she went for places she knew that Ukitake would be able to block. That was, until Ukitake forced her into a corner and went for the kill.

"Cry, Harusame."

That was as much as Katsumi got to see this time before she felt like she was pulled into a vortex. She woke up with a loud gasp, sitting up from the rock, surprising Urahara who had been waiting all this time. Without a fight, Kagome got bored quickly into their conversation and went back into sleep instead, leaving Urahara watching a blacked out Katsumi. "Welcome back, Katsumi-chan!" Urahara smiled. "So, did you get it? My technique to get your memories back is still a little primitive, I'm not sure exactly which memory would be restored each time."

"There is a lot more than precision you need to work on," Katsumi groaned, holding her head in her hands. "Harusame...my zanpakuto's name is Harusame."

"That's a pretty name," Urahara smiled. "Well, now it's time for you to enter Harusame's world and fight her. She would most likely try to kill you, and she would most likely succeed." Katsumi's confused and terrified expression brought out a chuckle from him. "You won't die." A raise of her eyebrow and it was evident that Katsumi did not believe him. Urahara did not blame her, however, because he was never straight with her. There were many times when she was younger when she would fall for everything Urahara said, though she soon learnt. "Do you think I would have told you to do it if you would really die?"

"But why must I...enter her world?"

"There are many things that are perfect about you but there is just one flaw about you, Katsumi. I seriously do not understand your need for everything to be explained. Could you not, for once, just do as you're told without ever questioning?" The look on Katsumi's face was clear; it was a simple no. With a sigh, Urahara sat down opposite Katsumi, directing her to put her zanpakuto on her lap. "Right, this here..." he said, patting his cane, "is Benihime. She's my zanpakuto but she's...not very nice. However, there is a bond between us because we're together all the time.

"Your Harusame," he continued, pointing at her zanpakuto, "was stashed away, forgotten. Even if you do remember her name, you won't be able to use her. Not to the full potential, anyway. You could possibly release her but I doubt it would be for long. This is because zanpakuto's have their own personalities. You need to treat them nicely in order for you to be able to use them. Neglect means that they are going to throw a tantrum and refuse to cooperate. By going into her world, you can fight her and if you win, she would submit to you."

"And...how do I enter her world?"


	4. Chapter Four

 His face was inches away from hers and Urahara was discovering things he never knew about Katsumi. Her eyelashes were long and curled at just the right angle. Her hair was immaculately tied up into a ponytail with her signature braids running down the middle, save for the two strands of hair that framed her face. Putting his hand up to her face, Urahara grinned a little to himself over the fact that her face was about the size of his hand. It was no wonder  _he_ would fall for her. Though, it had been so long since they last saw each other, Urahara wondered what kind of reaction  _he_  would have seeing Katsumi again. Opening her eyes suddenly, Katsumi leaned forward and threatened to bite Urahara's hand only for him to thwack her right in the head with his cane.

"Concentrate, Katsumi-chan."

"How could I when you are clowning around?" Katsumi asked. "And how does meditating help?"

"Again with the questions," Urahara tutted, wiggling his index finger from side to side. "What did I say before? Just do as I say, no questions."

Wearing the same unimpressed look reserved specially for Urahara, Katsumi closed her eyes again, rubbing the top of her head to ease the pain. She never liked that trait of Urahara's, how he never explained everything with details. She especially hated the phrase he always told her, ' _You would know when you know_ '. Still, she placed her hands on top of her zanpakuto in her lap and let out a deep breath, trying her best to think of nothing but the name Harusame. Slowly, Katsumi felt as if she was drifting away, as if she was falling asleep. When she opened her eyes again, however, she was standing on a wooden platform in the middle of an endless ocean.

Sitting by the edge of the platform was a woman with long black hair reaching down to her waist, half of it tied up into a bun and secured with four golden pins. She was wearing a teal-coloured, off-the-shoulder kimono. She had her hand dipped in the water though as soon as she sensed Katsumi's presence, she pulled her hand out and turned her head slowly. There was a certain charisma about the woman. She was neither smiling nor frowning but the look in her eyes seemed to be drawing Katsumi in. It was then she finally understood the term 'breath taken away'.

"It's nice to see you, Katsumi," she said softly, standing up on the spot. "I didn't think you would come. I didn't think you even remember me."

"You are...Harusame?"

"No points for getting my name," the woman smiled. As she started walking towards Katsumi, however, her smile dropped and was instead, replaced with a cold (almost murderous) expression. "After all, you've abandoned me for a hundred years. You've left me to rot, left my blade to rust. So...don't blame me for not welcoming you here."

Reaching behind her back, Harusame gripped onto the hilt of her katana and pulled it out of its sheath with lightning speed. Katsumi mirrored her actions and pulled out her own katana, just about blocking Harusame's attack as she swung hers from the side. Without another word, the two engaged in a sword fight. Just like from her memory before, Katsumi was on the defensive. Harusame landed blow after blow but all she could do was dodge and block. It was hard to keep up with Harusame; her movements were so swift and so fluid. There was no weak nor blind spot either. This was a lost battle even before she even came into Harusame's world.

Without showing any mercy, Harusame forced Katsumi to the edge of the platform. There was absolutely no way out of this for Katsumi. And while she remembered Urahara so cheerfully saying that she would not die, there was still that fear in Katsumi because what if Urahara was wrong?

Before she could finish processing all the 'what ifs', however, Harusame's blade pierced right through her heart. Katsumi let out a blood curdling scream but it only put a smile on Harusame's face as she pushed the katana further into Katsumi's chest. She was still very much alive but the pain was so unbearable for Katsumi that she was starting to wish that Urahara was wrong. "What shall I do with you now?" Harusame hummed, twisting the katana and letting out what sounded like a giggle when Katsumi screamed once more. "How about a hundred years of pain? That should pay off the negligence." Gripping the hilt of her katana tightly, Katsumi gathered what strength that was left in her and stabbed Harusame in the shoulder.

At the same time, another blade pierced through the other shoulder from the back.

Tilting her head slightly so she could be seen, Kagome greeted the two with a smirk. Katsumi's eyes widened at the sight of Kagome. Not too long ago, she found out she had a twin sister. The one sacrificed for her. Yet, it felt so surreal to see her actually standing in front of her. There was no denying it, however, because Kagome was an exact copy of her. From their hair to their nose, even down to their height. Everything was the same. The only difference being that Kagome sported blood red eyes. "Well hello there, my dear sister," Kagome greeted with a little wave. "It's been a while, hasn't it? A hundred years? No, more than that. But you don't remember me, do you?"

"Kagome..."

"Huh, well what do you know..." Kagome mumbled. "They did always say you were the smart one."

"I do not understand...you are..."

"Of course you don't." Pulling her katana out, Kagome grabbed Harusame by the shoulder and threw her back, letting the spirit slide along the platform to the other side while she walked up to Katsumi. Even with their faces inches away, it was still hard to believe for Katsumi that the person standing before her was her own twin sister. "Because mummy and daddy kept you in the dark. And your beloved brother, he wiped your memories. Gave you fake ones."

Picking herself up, Harusame grabbed her katana and charged at Kagome. Without turning, Kagome kicked Harusame in the stomach and brought her down to her knees. With a blow from her heel, Harusame was knocked down on the platform. As she glanced down at the spirit, Kagome stepped on her neck with one foot, perfectly subduing Harusame underneath her. Katsumi could only watch in fear. She was having a hard time fighting against Harusame just moments ago. She could only hurt Harusame  _after_  she was pierced through the heart herself. Yet, Kagome had Harusame laying underneath her foot so effortlessly.

"Do not hurt her."

"That is so typical of you. The princess everyone adored who is so full of compassion. Who only knows mercy when it comes to her enemies. Did you forget that she was trying to kill you, hm?" Kagome pressed her weight down on Harusame, wiggling her foot about. "You do realise that I could just break her neck now, right? You're the only one who needs her. I don't need some goddamn zanpakuto spirit to help me. I don't mind getting rid of her once and for all."

"You cannot!"

Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something, Kagome looked off to the distance. "Well, something more fun just popped up in the real world so I will spare her pathetic life." Letting her foot off Harusame's neck, Kagome kicked the woman to the side before looking to Katsumi. "You stay here for a while. I'm going to take my body back for some fun."

**~Meanwhile~**

"Sorry for being late, Ichigo."

Having arrived to save Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad, both Urahara and Yoruichi stood between the large sized arrancar, Yammy, and the beaten down Ichigo. "What the hell? One persona after another getting in my way. But cutting ahead just means that I'm going to kill you first!" Raising his fist, Yammy held a confident grin as he brought it down on them. Just before he could hit them (even before either of them reacted), his fist was stopped by a single tiny palm. "Yet another measly human for m-"

Half way through his sentence, Yammy suddenly let out a shout. With her fingernails digging into his hand, Kagome gripped and twisted his hand, yanking him forward during the moment of surprise and roundhouse kicked him in the face. She let go of his hand, turning around in the blink of an eye and jammed her elbow in his stomach, knocking Yammy back. She flashed in front of him, grabbing him by the neck and threw him up into the air before jumping up herself. Twisting her body midair, Kagome brought her leg down in the middle of his back, kicking him down into the ground before landing perfectly on her feet.

"Looks like I still got it after all these years," Kagome smirked, stretching her arms into the air and bent a little to the sides.

"Aren't you supposed to be training back at the store?" Yoruichi asked, attending to Orihime as she did.

"You're not allowed to be out...Kagome."

As she met Yoruichi's eyes, the older woman finally took notice of the bright red eyes staring back at her. "You expect me to stay back and watch Katsumi's sorry ass be kicked around by a spirit while you two old farts get to have all the fun? It's like you don't even know me, Kisuke. Don't worry, I'll return your precious princess after I had my fun. I'm still waiting for you to beg after all." With a smirk, Kagome turned back around and looked to the other arrancar who had only been spectating all this time. "You," she pointed. "You're much stronger than this pathetic little thing, aren't you?" There was no reply from the arrancar. Instead, Yammy started moving, pushing himself up from the ground. "Oh wow, you're like the cockroach. You just don't die."

What Kagome expected, was definitely not a Cero aimed at her. By the time it was shot, it seemed a little too late for her to be dodging it.

"You are so reckless, Kagome-chan," Urahara tutted. "We wouldn't be begging for your help if you died here."

As the dust settled around them, it was clear to see that Kagome was unscathed; Urahara stood just a step in front of her with his zanpakuto out. "Who are you? What did you do? How did you survive my Cero?" Yammy bombarded Urahara with question after question, unable to accept the fact that his Cero did not even give them a scratch. Tilting his head slightly, Urahara only smirked in response.

"If I had repelled it, it would have endangered us all. I simply hit it with something similar to cancel it. Would you like to see it again?"

Without warning, Urahara used his zanpakuto's ability only to have it deflected by the other arrancar, Ulquiorra. "What is your name?" he asked, looking to Kagome. Unhappy that Urahara interrupted his fight, Yammy started protesting only to be struck in the stomach. "You fool. You're too hot-headed, Yammy. That's Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi. At your level, as it stands, you can't beat them. We're withdrawing."

"Running away?" Yoruichi taunted.

"Such a taunt is unlike you. If the two of you want to fight me while also trying to protect the trash dying there, I'm sure you realise which of us would have the advantage. We've completed the mission we were given. We will report to Lord Aizen. I will tell him that the shinigami he has his eyes on, is trash that isn't even worth killing."

"Hey! Get back here! I haven't had my fun yet! I don't give a fu-"

Urahara grabbed Kagome by the shoulder, stopping her from going after the two arrancars. "That's quite enough, Kagome," Urahara said, in a tone of voice that no one would ever associate Urahara with. "Please kindly return Katsumi."

* * *

Katsumi never found out what type of 'fun' Kagome borrowed her body for and Urahara would not tell her either. All she knew was that when she woke up, she was back at her room in the Urahara Shop, her body aching like she had been intensive training for a whole week non-stop at a military camp. Even as the days passed, it still ached so much that it would hurt for her to raise her arm. She came to realise, however, that whatever 'fun' Kagome went for, Ichigo and Orihime were involved. They were absent from school and came back a few days later, thanking Katsumi for her help.

If they knew it was really Kagome who help, would they still be thanking her?

If they knew she only went for the entertainment and coincidentally helped them, would they still thank her?

But Katsumi could not bring herself to explain that the person who helped them was not her, because even Katsumi herself was not quite understanding. Kagome was supposedly sacrificed to save her, but why? She had no memories, because her brother locked them away. But why?

Frozen in front of the blackboard with the eraser in her hand, Katsumi was snapped out of her own thoughts when she heard a commotion coming down the hallway. The door to their classroom slid open and in walked a group of five people. They were wearing the school uniform but Katsumi had never seen them before though Ichigo seemed to recognise them. Some form of conversation went on between them before someone else came in through the window and took Ichigo away. Or well...took his soul away.

"Are you friends of Kurosaki-kun? Where is she taking him?"

"You...saw that?"

Before she could get her answer, however, the other students in the classroom were murmuring between themselves. They were just as confused as Katsumi was though she was the only one who could see Ichigo's soul. The murmurs grew and soon, the students were discussing the five who waltzed into the classroom until they mentioned the bald one. That seemed to have set him off as he started threatening them with his wooden sword. Grabbing him by the wrist before he could hurt anyone, Katsumi looked up at the man.

"Please stop."

"Huh? Who do you think you are, ordering me around? Let go of me before I hurt you!"

"Please stop." The man was still glaring but Katsumi did not move. She did not even flinch from his loud voice or when he yanked his arm away. There was something about the look in her eyes, a look that he could only describe with nobility and authority. And for some reason, he submitted to it. "Whoever you are, you are in a school. Please refrain yourself from violence and hurting others. If you may, school has already ended and Kurosaki-kun is not here. Please leave."

Although none of them was thrilled with taking orders from a high school student, neither of them argued with Katsumi either. They left the classroom, as loud as they did when they came but peacefully. Once they were away from the school, however, they had a serious look on their face.

"Did you see the name on her uniform, that girl?"

Rangiku spoke first, breaking the silence with a question that they were all itching to ask. "Yeah...Ukitake," Ikkaku muttered. "It's just coincidence, is it not? She can't be related to Captain Ukitake." No one spoke up at that comment. "What if...she  _is_  related to Captain Ukitake?" Ikkaku asked. "Damn...I threatened her as well. What if Captain Ukitake finds out?"

"Don't fret, Captain Ukitake is a nice man. I'm sure he wouldn't do anything too bad."

"I feel like I've seen her somewhere before..."

**~.~**

Moving with the katana felt so natural to Katsumi. It seemed like the muscle memory was there, all that was needed was some training to bring it out. For the past few days, despite her whole body aching, that was what Urahara had been doing with her. He had been training her swordsmanship, getting her into Harusame's world, even training her in Hakuda because ' _there will come a time when you can't use your zanpakuto and kido. When that time comes, you will be thankful that I taught you Hakuda_ '. With all these training, however, Katsumi could only imagine the kind of fight they were preparing for.

Just as she was about to enter Harusame's world, Katsumi felt something she never felt before.

Reiatsu, that was something Urahara had been teaching her about too. Since her training with him, she had been able to feel reiatsu of others'. But this one felt different. And there was more than one of them.

Instinctively, Katsumi held onto her zanpakuto and dashed out of the lair. She ran past Ururu who called out to her but Katsumi ignored the girl, running out of the shop. She was only a few steps out when she stopped, looking up into the sky where a figure stood above. Her hand wrapped around the hilt of her zanpakuto, ready to unsheathe whenever they attacked. Her breaths were quickening and her heart was starting to beat hard and fast. This was what she had been training for but Katsumi only ever fought against Urahara, Ururu and Jinta. They would never hurt her, not seriously anyway.

"A pretty lady like you shouldn't be out here. Too bad I'm going to have to kill you."

"I will take it from here, Ukitake-san," Renji said, putting a hand on her shoulder and pulled Katsumi back. "I promised Urahara-san that I would protect you, after all."


	5. Chapter Five

"Abarai-san!"

"Please stand back, Ukitake-san..."

Despite having activated his bankai, Renji was struggling. Every time he was knocked back, Katsumi had her hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto, ready to sub in. However, each and every time, Renji told her to stand back. She was sick of it. It was obvious that their opponent had the upper hand; he easily deflected Renji's shikai and was effortlessly beating his bankai. There was only so many hits Renji could take before he went down yet he insisted on Katsumi staying behind the line.

"That's it, brother? That's your bankai? And you're a vice captain? Oh, Seireitei's finest, I'm sure. Ha! But...it's about time I put an end to this."

Unable to even stand, there was absolutely no way Renji could dodge or even block the attack that was to come. Pushing on the hilt of her zanpakuto with her right hand, Katsumi was ready to unsheathe and jump in any time. Except, someone else beat her to it. Appearing out of nowhere behind the arrancar, Ururu kicked him right in the face, sending him flying. She continuously attacked him, not giving the arrancar a chance to fight back. In his anger, he managed to struck Ururu in the face, putting some distance between them though he was rather beaten up by now.

"Fucking kid..." he uttered. "This kid is fucking with me...shit! I'll kill you! I'll fucking murder you! Charge and crush, Del Toro!"

A huge burst of reiatsu was released and a cloud of dust surrounded the arrancar. The next thing they knew, Ururu was impaled right in the chest with what looked like a horn. As the cloud of dust cleared, both Renji and Katsumi's eyes widened at the sight before them. The slender tall, blonde male was no longer. Instead, standing in front of them was what could only be described as a monster.

Katsumi was frozen with shock. She was not prepared for this. Just the sheer amount of reiatsu from the arrancar himself was more than enough to scare her into reconsidering joining the fight. But the sight of Ururu impaled on one of his horns, that was fueling Katsumi somehow. Renji had been fighting this whole time, protecting them. Protecting her. Even Ururu went in without hesitation. Katsumi could not back away now. She was snapped back to reality when the arrancar flung Ururu off his horn. Jinta went to catch her, even trying to land an attack though it did little to nothing. Her body moved by itself, seeing Jinta and Ururu in danger when the arrancar moved his head to thrust his horn their way. Before she knew it, she had her zanpakuto out, just about blocking his horn.

"Ukitake-san..."

"Please stand back, Abarai-san. You did your part protecting me. Now, it is my turn."

"Ha! You think a flimsy little girl like you could stand a chance against me?"

Disappearing from his sight, Katsumi appeared behind the arrancar and sliced her zanpakuto through the horn he impaled Ururu with. She jumped out of the way just in time as he attacked with his other horn. Pointing her zanpakuto at the arrancar, Katsumi was firm with determination.

"Cry, Harusame."

The blade of her zanpakuto started dissipating as a cloud was forming above them and they were soon rained on. Just as the arrancar moved to attack her, Katsumi pointed her empty hilt at him and slashed through the air with one swift movement. Following the motion of her hilt, the arrancar's leg was yanked in the same direction. Although confused, the arrancar did not give up and tried charging once more. Without much of a faze, Katsumi pointed the empty hilt at him once more but she thrust forward this time, freezing the arrancar on the spot.

As she started twisting the hilt clockwise, however, the cloud above them suddenly dissipated and the blade of her zanpakuto returned. "Not now..." Katsumi frowned, looking down at her zanpakuto. This was not the time for Harusame to refuse cooperation. "Harusame, you cannot refuse to help. Not right now. We have an ene-" Before she could finish her sentence, Katsumi was stabbed in the stomach with a horn.

"Ukitake-san!" Renji called out, watching as she was flung off. He rushed to catch her, getting there just in time as she landed in his arms. "Ukitake-san!" Unresponsive, Katsumi was slowly closing her eyes, passing out from her wound.

"That was a pretty impressive try to stop me, as pathetic as it was," the arrancar laughed. "I must admit, her zanpakuto's ability seemed to be a little better than yours although, it must be a fluke. In honour of your efforts, I shall let you know my name in your last moments. Quince arrancar, Yylfordt Granz."

A large amount of reiatsu stopped the arrancar in his tracks, however, even pushing him back. Even Renji, who had been so used to those with a huge amount of reiatsu, felt a little pressured. In his arms, Katsumi opened her eyes. Failing to notice the red eyes, Renji tried to stop her from getting up though with one hand on his shoulder, she suppressed him effortlessly. With one hand pressed to her wound, she looked down at the blood that dyed her hand bright red before looking up at the arrancar.

"So you're the bastard who hurt Katsumi."

Twirling the zanpakuto in one hand, Kagome picked up the sheath dropped on the ground and inserted the hilt of the zanpakuto into the sheath, holding where they were connected. Showing off some flashy moves, Kagome suddenly charged at Yylfordt. She kicked him right in the head, sending the arrancar flying back. She chased after him, slashing with her zanpakuto to leave marks all over his mask although it could not penetrate at all.

Unlike Katsumi who was struggling with the fight, Kagome was landing attack after attack without hesitation, nor was Yylfordt given the chance to attack. Just as it seemed like she had the upper hand, Kagome doubled over, supporting herself using her zanpakuto. Blood was seeping out from the corner of her mouth as Kagome wiped it away with the back of her hand. "Fuck this shit..." she mumbled, pushing herself up and straightened her back, though she swayed a little. "Katsumi you bitch...look what you did to my body."

Her bleeding from the stab wound was not stopping.

While she had been fighting so well, it seemed like Kagome only worsened her own condition. Taking advantage of the situation, Yylfordt turned the tables and started attacking Kagome. With her strength going as her blood did, the only thing Kagome could do was block the attacks of his horn with her zanpakuto. The last attack had Kagome going down on one knee and it did not help when she threw up some blood. Before Yylfordt could deal the final blow, however, Renji appeared in front of Kagome with his bankai protecting them. "Sorry it took so long, Ukitake-san. They took their time with the limit release."

"Take your time, why don't you? Fuck...I don't even have the strength to argue with you..." Falling forward, Kagome leaned against Renji's back, closing her eyes. "I'm at my limit..."

* * *

_Gripping onto the sleeve of her mother's kimono, it was as if she was hanging onto her dear life._

_Peeking out from behind her mother, she caught sight of another child. A boy. They stared at each other but only for a few seconds before she retreated behind her mother. She stuck to her mother like glue, too afraid to explore in an unfamiliar setting. He approached her, however, that boy. He held his hand out and greeted her with the brightest smile. "Do you like cherry blossoms?" With permission from her mother, she went on a walk with him. It was her first time seeing the cherry blossoms and she was brought to a garden full of them. "If you'd like, we can come here more often."_

Watching Katsumi as she slept, Urahara placed a hand gently on her forehead before letting out a relieved sigh. For the past few nights, her brows were knitted together the whole time, which could only mean one thing: nightmares. Or in Katsumi's case, the return of her memories. Tonight, however, her brows were relaxed and she even had a smile on her face.

Standing up, Urahara gave Katsumi one last look before leaving her room so she could recuperate in peace. As he closed the door to her room, however, Renji turned the corner, looking as if he had been waiting for Urahara. Without a word, both men seemed to know what the other was thinking as they both moved together. Entering an empty room, Urahara closed the door behind him and sat down opposite Renji. Neither of them spoke, though he just did not know how to start the conversation on Renji's side. With a sigh, Urahara was the one who spoke first.

"You want to know about Katsumi-chan?"

"Ukitake-san...she felt different."

"So you've noticed." Urahara fell silent. He cast a look Renji's way, contemplating whether or not he should tell about Katsumi. He was in no place, however, to tell her story. "Katsumi-chan is...special," Urahara said, picking his words carefully. "She's...not who you think she is. That's all you need to know for now."

**~.~**

It was the middle of the night when she finally woke.

Katsumi let out a soft groan, feeling the ache around her stomach where she was stabbed. She pushed herself up from the futon, all the while wincing. Recalling the fight, Katsumi pressed a hand to her stomach. She did not fight for long before she was defeated by the arrancar, that much she knew. She thought she could play a part in protecting Ururu and Jinta, helping Renji. Due to Harusame's refusal for cooperation, however, Katsumi became a liability instead. If only she could defeat Harusame and have her submit.

Leaving her room, Katsumi found herself heading up to the roof although someone else was already there; perched on the top in his shinigami form was Renji. He was staring up at the moon when he sensed a presence. Unfamiliar with her reiryoku, Renji picked up his zanpakuto and unsheathed though he stopped midway when he realised who it was.

"Sorry, Ukitake-san," he apologised, putting his zanpakuto down. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much better," Katsumi nodded, taking a seat next to him. They sat in silence for a few moments before turning to face each other as if they had something to say. "I wanted to say thank you," Katsumi smiled. "Thank you for protecting us. And I am sorry, that I was not much of a help during the fight."

Feeling a little embarrassed, Renji looked away. "You were a great help during the fight, actually. You fought bravely despite the heavy injury, that helped stall for some time while I waited for the limit release." The way Katsumi was looking at him, however, could not stop Renji from asking something that had been bothering him this whole time. "Have we met somewhere before, Ukitake-san? You seem familiar." Before she could respond though, they were interrupted by Urahara.

"Flirting as soon as you're awake, Katsumi-chan?" Urahara asked. "Shall we continue with your training? There's a lot to learn from your fight this time."

With a nod, Katsumi stood up and started following Urahara off the roof but she stopped to turn around, looking to Renji. "I do not think we have met before, Abarai-san," she said, with a small smile. "Although, it would have been nice to have a friend like you."

**~.~**

"Why don't you give up, Katsumi?"

"Because I cannot. There is a war coming and I need your cooperation."

"To gain my cooperation, you have to defeat me. In case you have forgotten, we have been at this for many days now and...if I recall properly, you have yet to come close to defeating me. Not even once. How else are you planning to have me submit? Are you going to talk my ear off and hope that I would submit in exchange for you to shut it?"

Her questions were rhetorical as Harusame charged at Katsumi. Pulling her own katana out, Katsumi blocked Harusame's attack and pushed her back, bringing her katana down on her. The fight went on, going back and forth between the two. Since the fight with the arrancar, Urahara had intensified the training with Katsumi. She drew inspiration for her swordsmanship from Urahara's skills. Combining them with skills she already had, Harusame was having some difficulty predicting Katsumi's next moves while previously, she was easy to read.

As Harusame thrust her katana forward, Katsumi looped her arm around from underneath, locking Harusame's katana and disarming the woman in one swift move. With her other hand, however, Harusame caught her katana and swung it around, aiming for Katsumi's chest. Instead of blocking, Katsumi stood still with her eyes closed. She had come to realise that there was no point in fighting. Defeating Harusame would never extinguish the anger she had been harbouring over the years of abandonment. If hurting Katsumi would rid her of the anger, Katsumi was willing to take it.

Without hesitation, Harusame stabbed Katsumi through the chest, pushing her katana in all the way up to the hilt.

"You didn't dodge. I didn't think you were that stupid, Katsumi. Why didn't you dodge?"

"Because I am sorry..."

"Sorry?"

Putting her hand on top of Harusame's, Katsumi looked into her eyes. "I am sorry...for abandoning you, for forgetting you. It is no excuse, but my memories were locked away for reasons unknown to me. If I had a choice, however...I would never want to forget you. You are a great zanpakuto, Harusame. You deserve a better owner, one who would never forget you...one who could use you better..."

Skeptical, Harusame tried pushing the katana in further. She was expecting Katsumi to stop her, or to raise her own katana, but she did neither of those things. Instead, Katsumi dropped her katana, completely surrendering to Harusame. "You are an idiot," Harusame mumbled, pulling the blade out of her chest. Lifting Katsumi's chin with one hand, Harusame leaned in so close that the tip of their noses were almost touching. "Out there in the battlefield, you better not give your life away so easily, my beautiful child. I don't need a better owner. I just need one who appreciates me."

As Harusame let go of her chin, a gust of wind blew and she started dissipating with it while Katsumi was finding it hard to stay conscious. She collapsed onto the wooden platform but the instant she hid the surface, she woke up in the real world with Urahara's face just inches away from hers. Scrambling to get up, Katsumi backed away from Urahara as she pressed a hand to her chest where she was stabbed.

"Did you do it this time?"

"You said I could not die in Harusame's world, but you never told me how much it would hurt to be stabbed."

"You'll get over it," Urahara smiled. "Now, shall we move on to the next stage?" Propping up what looked like a flat mannequin, Urahara had his arms around the object as if they were friends. Katsumi raised an eyebrow, eyeing the mannequin with her hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of her zanpakuto. Although there was no denying that Urahara's inventions were great, there was always a level of uncertainty in Katsumi until she could determine what it was and how it worked. "Say hello to your new best friend for the next three days."

* * *

Standing on the edge of the roof, Shinji stared into the distance, frowning the instance he felt a reiatsu spiking. It was a very familiar reiatsu, one that was easily recognisable although the last time he felt it so strongly was a long, long time ago. It was a reiatsu that he was both impressed with, yet at the same time despised. Joining him on the edge, Hiyori looked out in the same direction, the same displeasure painted all her face.

"It's her, isn't it?"

"Hm," Shinji mumbled. "Maybe it's about time we bring her in too."

"You know I hate that idea."

Of all people, Hiyori had always opposed the idea the most. Shinji understood why, however. None of the people currently residing in this building liked her, not when she was the reason why they were here in the first place. The way she was leading a normal life while they had to hide away was most infuriating of all. However, seeing her again, Shinji came to understand that hating her would not undo what had been done to them.

Despite her protest, Hiyori knew that Shinji had already made his mind up. "Tsk...do whatever you want," Hiyori stated, stepping off the edge and headed back into the building. "But don't say I never warned you. She's the reason we have to live like this, she will always be the reason why. One hundred years is a long time but do you think it's long enough to change a monster?" With that, Hiyori disappeared into the building, leaving Shinji to his own thoughts.

"Well then...let's go pick us up a princess."


	6. Chapter Six

_"Penny for your thoughts?"_

_A cup of tea was placed next to her on the veranda as he sat down next to her. She looked to the cup, picking it up gently and took a sip, a smile taking place on her face as she looked up to him. Her troubles seemed so far away just having him there, as if he had cast a magic spell on the tea to take them away. He always knew what to do to comfort her because that was what an older brother was for._

For the first time in a long while, she had a dream about her brother. For the first time in a long while, there was a feeling of warmth remembering him instead of spite.

That particular dream/memory hung on Katsumi's mind all day long.

She was granted a day's rest.  _I have some matters to attend to_ , were Urahara's exact words before leaving. With nowhere particular in mind, Katsumi left the shop for the first time in almost a week. She had not been to school though she was not quite bothered; she had not been there long enough just yet to have people worrying about her. Wandering the streets, Katsumi soon found herself walking down a rather secluded road alone.

The feeling of being followed crept up on her. She turned her head from side to side, looking over her shoulders to check that no one was there yet she could not shake off the feeling. Her pace quickened though when she rounded the corner, she came face to face with someone familiar. Her muscles clenched and her hand tightened around her zanpakuto with which she had become inseparable, ready to fight whenever he initiated, having remembered their last encounter. Shinji, however, seemed nonchalant leaning against the wall. Like he knew she would be there and he had been waiting.

"Hirako-kun."

"Katsumi-chan," Shinji grinned. "I've missed you at school."

"I have not been well."

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're all better now." Noticing the way she was tensed up, Shinji stepped away from the wall and held his hands up in the air as if to show her that he was not armed. "How about a date, Katsumi-chan? It would really make my day to go out with my first love." As Katsumi took a step back, Shinji caught her by the elbow, his grin still plastered on his face. "You don't really have a choice in this, Katsumi-chan. I'd go with it if I were you."

Katsumi was not quite sure what it was but something deep down was telling her to go with it as Shinji told her to. He led her away from the town, arriving at an abandoned space. Instantly, Katsumi could feel that something was not quite right. Shinji walked up to a specific spot and a doorway opened in what seemed like a barrier, revealing a warehouse hidden behind. Beckoning her over, Shinji allowed Katsumi in first and the barrier closed behind them.

Stepping into the warehouse somehow got Katsumi's heart racing. She was pretty sure the seven pairs of eyes watching her every move was the reason why. Shinji nudged her gently on the back, making her stand right in the middle of the warehouse, as if she was standing trial in front of a jury. Saving her from the awkwardness was the entrance of another person. Walking into the warehouse was a certain orange-haired high school student with whom Katsumi was in the same class. Both of them locked eyes, each surprised to see the other.

"Oh, just in time, Ichigo. I was starting to think that you wouldn't be able to find us. Have you finally decided to become one of us?"

"Screw that," Ichigo replied. "I'm not here to become one of you. I'm here so I could use you. I'm not going to join you but I'm going to have you teach me how to suppress the hollow inside me."

"Huh...well I'll be damned," Shinji mumbled, though he was soon smirking. He placed an arm around Katsumi's shoulders, looking over to Ichigo with a tilted head. "You might not even have to worry about suppressing that hollow in you, Ichigo," Shinji hummed. "You may be able to return to a normal life even. That is...if we could get that information out of the precious Chuya princess right here."

_Chuya..._

That was the second time Shinji referred to her by that name. She meant to ask before but they were preoccupied with a fight and she had thrown it to the back of her mind since. "You have the wrong person," Katsumi stated, shrugging Shinji's arm off her shoulders. "I am no Chuya. My name is Ukitake Katsumi,  _Ukitake_." The look on Shinji's face, however, had Katsumi doubting herself. She kept telling herself that  _he_  was mistaken; she was the sister of Ukitake Jushiro after all. She had no recollection of ever being anybody by the name of Chuya though that was when it hit her.

Her memories had been coming back to her in pieces, like they were slipping past a barrier. What if, the memories of being the sister of the thirteenth squad captain were planted? What if, she was Chuya Katsumi like Shinji said but those memories had been sealed away?

"Say it again," Shinji said. "What's your name?"

"I..."

Katsumi looked from Shinji to Ichigo, then to the others. How could it be that her entire life was a lie? How could it be that her brother...was not her brother? So many questions were running through her mind at the same time and Katsumi pressed her palm to her forehead, trying to find the answers to her questions. There was only one question, however, that she needed the answer to the most.

Why?

Why were her memories sealed away? Why was she sent away to live under a different name? Why did everyone she knew lie to her about her life?

In the midst of her desperation to find answers, Katsumi's head was suddenly grabbed and she was forced to turn around, facing a big man. He examined her, turning her head from side to side before humming softly knowingly. "Just as I suspected," the man nodded, letting go of Katsumi as he spoke. "There is a barrier in her mind, a seal. Her memories are locked away and fake ones had been put in place instead. I could remove the barrier but the aftermath of it would be too much for her to bear." With a bow, the man retreated, leaving Katsumi just as confused as before.

Out of nowhere, however, Katsumi was attacked.

Slicing through the air and aimed at Katsumi's head was a katana though she dodged it perfectly. Her body was moving on its own, thanks to all the training she had done with Urahara. "I've had enough of this. Seeing your face really pissed me off. I don't give a damn about no barrier, I'm going to beat it out of you." Not hesitating for even a second, Hiyori charged at Katsumi. "You're the reason we're here! So why do you get to live a damn normal life while we gotta hide like we're some monsters being hunted? This is so typical of a Chuya...if you aren't going to talk then just die!" As Hiyori went for a kick to the head, Katsumi drew her zanpakuto from the sheath just in time to block the kick.

"Cry, Harusame."

With the release of her zanpakuto, a cloud started forming in the warehouse and rain started to fall. Hiyori was distracted for just a second by the sudden rain but it was more than enough time for Katsumi to flick her across the warehouse, putting distance between them. Each and every time Hiyori tried to lunge at her, Katsumi simply flicked her wrist, not allowing a single chance for the girl to get close to her.

Frustrated, Hiyori placed a hand in front of her face, dragged it down in one motion and a Hollow mask appeared. Taken aback, Katsumi was distracted for just a second when Hiyori suddenly appeared right in front of her. Just before she could move her arm, Hiyori grabbed onto her wrist and jumped into the air at the same time, landing a kick. Katsumi managed to block with her other arm though she was kicked across the warehouse. As she raised her hand to use her shikai, Hiyori once again appeared in front of her with frightening speed. Just before she could attack, however, Katsumi felt a hand on top of hers.

"The Katsumi I know isn't this weak," a familiar voice whispered. "If you are afraid to hurt others, then you can never fully use me."

"Harusame?"

"Let that fear go. Only then will you unlock my potentials. Remember, Katsumi, I will always be here for you."

The feeling of Harusame's hand disappeared but at the same time, Hiyori was once again, flung in the opposite direction. Pointing her hilt at Hiyori, Katsumi pierced forward, freezing Hiyori on the spot. As Katsumi started rotating the hilt anti-clockwise, Hiyori's arm started drying up and shrinking. Harusame's words kept repeating in her mind:  _Let that fear go_. However, the instant Katsumi laid eyes on the pain expression Hiyori wore, she could not bring herself to hurt the other girl. Snatching the opportunity, Hiyori managed to break free and charged at Katsumi. Reacting a second too late, Hiyori was able to slash her across the back.

Jumping out of the way, Katsumi touched her left shoulder where the cut started. Stumbling a few steps back, Katsumi suddenly collapsed only to get up the next second. As she lifted her head, however, her eyes were bright red. A wave of reiatsu was released from her body, knocking everyone in the warehouse back. This was a intentional display of her power; a power that Shinji was rather familiar with.

Kagome touched her left shoulder again, bringing her bloodstained finger to her lips before licking the blood off. "You'll pay for that." Inserting the hilt of her zanpakuto into the sheathe, Kagome did not give even a second for Hiyori to respond when she suddenly appeared just an inch in front of the hollowfied girl. Hiyori's right shoulder was pierced with the long blade, pinning her to the wall. At the same time, Hiyori stabbed through Kagome's left shoulder though it seemed to have done little deterring her. "Katsumi's afraid to hurt you, but I'm not. And I'm going to tak-"

Stopping mid-sentence, Kagome pulled away though she jolted forward suddenly, falling on her knee. Taking her chance, Hiyori swung her zanpakuto only for it to be caught by Kagome with just a hand. As she stood up, an immense amount of reiatsu was released from her, even more so than before. Pulling Hiyori forward, Kagome grabbed her by the throat once again as a white mask was beginning to form over her face. Her eyes were no longer red but instead, a telltale bright yellow. A menacing smirk spread across her face as her grip on Hiyori's throat tightened by the second.

In a split second, Kagome was surrounded and pinned to the ground with half a dozen katanas pointed right at her. Shinji poked at the quarter of a white mask over her face with the tip of his katana. As if fallen under a spell, Kagome was knocked out cold. Though, that was when they finally noticed it.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Oh my God..."

"Is this for real? That is real, right?"

"So that's how she survived."

"Hey Hachi, isn't this like a wet dream for you? Seeing this?"

With her shirt ripped from Hiyori's attack, Katsumi's bare back was exposed and with it, an intricate seal that covered her entire back was revealed. Where Hiyori slashed, the seal was slowly repairing itself. "That is a Chuya seal," Hachi confirmed. "I never thought I'd be seeing one in person but this is truly magnificent."

"Katsumi is one of you? What the hell is going on here? Will someone tell me something?"

"Her name," Shinji sighed, forgetting for a moment that Ichigo was also with them, "is Chuya Katsumi. She's the princess of the Chuya Clan, one of the four great noble families in Soul Society. She is also the first known case of a soul going through Hollowfication and surviving it, even though the Chuya Clan did the perfect job of hiding it. We had to dig deep to find out the truth. Well...now we finally know how she managed to survive. Sucks for you though, Ichigo," Shinji smirked. "Chuya seals are for Chuya's only, and only a Chuya would know how to make one. A seal of this level would require at least two of them and we only have one."

"What the hell are you talking about? Isn't Katsumi an Ukitake? She's the sister of Captain Ukitake, right? Who are the Chuya Clan?"

"A bunch of assholes, that's who they are," Hiyori sneered.

As he walked past Hiyori, making his way over to Ichigo, Shinji smacked the back of Hiyori's head. "Have some respect, we have the Chuya princess in our presence," he smirked, before looking to Ichigo. "Like I said, the Chuya Clan is one of the four great noble families in Soul Society. They are the oldest noble family and possess an unique reiryoku which I'm sure you failed to notice. It's the reason why they are the experts in seals and barriers. They also happen to be...assholes, as Hiyori has so nicely put for us. Because of their nobility, they look down on us.

"About 110 years ago, the main branch of the clan was murdered. No one knew who did it. The princess, however, was missing. Our dear Captain Ukitake took her in, gave her the Ukitake name, and kept her hidden away. He always had a soft spot for her despite our hatred for the Chuya Clan. Then again, the princess is a little hard to hate on; she was always nice. Whoever murdered the Chuya Clan was after the princess, specifically that seal on her back. And they'll be back for her. They did so well concealing her existence so why expose her now?"

* * *

Watching Ichigo train from inside a barrier, Kagome rolled her eyes and returned to throwing her shoe at the barrier wall, catching it as it bounced back. The hollow was suppressed but the cut (courtesy of Hiyori) across her back had disrupted the seal, so Kagome was still in control. Not wanting another incident, however, Shinji had asked for her to be placed in a barrier.

A gentle knock on the barrier had Kagome looking up to see Ichigo on one of his rare breaks. Taking note of his presence, she soon went back to tossing her shoe. "That's some interesting training you're doing there," Kagome pointed out. "You do realise that it's all pointless, right? Even if you learn to suppress the hollow and even use it, you're still different. You're still the freak with a monster in you."

"You're not Katsumi."

"Did blonde Beatles over there tell you?"

"No, I can tell. Katsumi has green eyes, yours are red. And your reiatsu, it feels different."

"Well you're not as stupid as I thought you were," Kagome smirked, catching her shoe before finally looking at Ichigo properly. "Blonde Beatles and his gang wanted to know how Katsumi survived with the hollow in her. They think the seal on my back is the answer but they're wrong. Even if they got their hands on a Chuya seal, it would never work. The seal is essential, no doubt, but not the key."

"What's the key?"

"Do you have a twin to spare?"

"You're Katsumi's twin."

It took a moment for her words to sink in but when they finally did, Ichigo's eyes widened a little. Kagome smirked at his reaction, returning her little game of shoe throw. It felt odd, hearing someone state the fact that she was Katsumi's twin. Since the day they were born, they were never viewed as equal. Katsumi, older by two minutes, was hailed as the princess of the Chuya Clan. Kagome, on the other hand, was shunned from the very second she was born. The only reason why she was kept alive when she would have otherwise been killed as an omen, was because it was foretold that twins would be bestowed upon the family and both had to be kept alive for one to survive. Katsumi was obviously chosen for survival.

She was never Katsumi's twin sister, she was simply Katsumi's spare. Kagome never came to terms with that statement. She never understood why Katsumi was so loved while she was cast aside when she was younger. She still could not understand why and what exactly determined that she was an omen yet at the same time, Katsumi's saviour, simply because an old woman foresaw.

"Whatever happened to Katsumi, it's not your fault." The comment from Ichigo was unexpected. So much so that Kagome missed catching her shoe as she looked up at the orange-haired boy.

"I never said it was."

"I can tell," Ichigo said, taking a seat outside the barrier. "Because I was just like you. I blamed myself for my mother's death, I still do. I can see in your eyes that even though you keep up that facade, you feel guilty for whatever happened to Katsumi."

She was speechless.

No one ever knew. No one ever thought to even know about it, yet this boy she had just met saw right through her. It was true that Kagome hated her family and her twin sister. But it was also true that there was a guilt ingrained in her since the day Katsumi was carried back half alive. A guilt that manifested from a secret she kept from everyone. A secret that she had tried so hard to forget, and even justify, though it had been eating away at her for a hundred years.


End file.
